The Gift
by corset-rebellion-follower
Summary: After the defeat of Tai Lung, a huge celebration breaks out in honor of Po. But Tigress just can't enjoy herself. Can Po lift her spirits with a little consolation present?


The Gift

By corset-rebellion-follower

Disclaimer: I don't own Kung Fu Panda

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A huge celebration was underway. Po's defeat of Tai Lung had brought an overall feeling of elation to the Valley of Peace. There was music, dancing, and much admiring of the giant crater that had been created during the battle. Even the people whose homes were damaged or destroyed didn't seem at all worried about the future. They were happily conversing with their friends and family.

Mr. Ping was handing out free bowls of noodles to give everyone in the Valley a free meal, with some help of Mr. Wong, the wonton maker. It was thought without a doubt that Po was the Dragon Warrior, and that he would be fully able and ready to protect the Valley from whatever threats might fall upon it.

But despite the happiness that was going on all around, one still wasn't fully content. _This entire celebration could be for me,_ Tigress thought dismally. _But I couldn't do it. I couldn't defeat Tai Lung, and I couldn't be the Dragon Warrior. What am I supposed to do with my life now? Just rot away in the training hall trying to win approval that I'll never get?_

"Master Tigress!" Another family came up to her to say hello, and to chat with her. "Isn't this wonderful? Now with Master Po protecting the Valley, we'll never have to worry about something like this again!" a mother goose exclaimed.

She nodded and tried to seem happy, but just couldn't completely muster the emotion. _That used to be me. I used to protect the Valley, just me and my friends. And now that the Dragon Warrior is here and has proven himself, what will become of us? Will Master Shifu make us leave the Jade Palace, since he doesn't need us anymore? _

"Tigress?" She looked up. Monkey was standing before her, smiling. "Everything alright? Why aren't you enjoying the party?" he asked.

She shrugged. "I'm just not in a celebrating mood, I suppose."

He nodded and sat down next to her. "So you and Master Po will be getting along now?"

"I guess. I mean, he saved the Valley and everyone in it from complete destruction. I owe him my respect. And I treated him so badly… I feel like such a jerk."

"Hey, don't feel too bad. We all thought he was a bit of a joke. Tai Lung's description wasn't such a bad one. He's a warrior unlike anything the world has ever seen," Monkey consoled.

She nodded and looked up at the crowds. Po had come back down from the Jade Palace, with Master Shifu at his side. A warm wash of relief flooded her; her Master was safe. Sure, he was cold and distant to her, but he was the closest thing she had to a father. And she loved him as a daughter should love a father. But her attentions were focused mostly on the Dragon Warrior.

_I shouldn't have been so hard on him. He took away the one thing I worked so hard for in my life, but he was just as surprised as we were when he was chosen. And he was immediately dropped into a world where he had no idea what he was doing. It all turned out right in the end, so does it matter anymore? Does he forgive me for what I've done?_

Po turned his head towards them and caught her eye. He smiled sheepishly and sent her a little wave. She couldn't help but crack a smile. _Even after he defeats the most feared warrior in all of China, he's still star-struck by us. _

"He's not such a bad guy," Monkey observed.

She glanced at her simian friend. "No, he's really not. He'll make an excellent warrior, once he starts serious training." Monkey nodded in agreement. Tigress sighed. "Monkey, what happens now that Tai Lung is defeated and the Dragon Warrior has been chosen? Happens to us, I mean. We don't really have any reason to continue training, we're already masters. And Po can protect the Valley perfectly well. What are we going to do with the rest of our lives? We don't know how to do anything else."

Monkey was silent. He finally answered, "I don't really know. Maybe we should leave the Valley and start our own Kung Fu school. Run things our way. We could wake up at noon instead of the crack of dawn, and we could write our own thousand scrolls instead of the traditional ones. Make up our own styles."

Tigress laughed. "That would take a lot of work."

"Of course. But it isn't much worse than what we're doing now," he noted.

She briefly considered the idea. _I could be Grandmaster of my own school… it's not the same as being the Dragon Warrior, but it's still pretty good. And I could teach only girls. Maybe women would have the same right to study kung fu as men do because of my school. That would be something. _

"You know, that's not such a bad idea. Maybe we should pitch the idea to Mantis, Viper, and Crane," she said.

He nodded. "We should. But for now, I'm going to go get some green tea ice. Want to come?" She closed her eyes and imagined it. Green tea ice was her favorite dessert. Many people didn't think she liked dessert because of who she was, but they were sadly mistaken. She always managed to get her paws on a batch whenever it was available. It was cold and melty and delicious.

"Sure, why not. We could toast to our new kung fu academy." They stood up and headed over to the ice booth. Immediately they were supplied with two big bowls of green tea ice, along with the thanks of the vendor for all the good things they had done for the Valley.

Tigress took a bite, letting the frozen treat melt on her tongue and slip down her throat. It was heaven on earth to her.

"Hey, Tigress." She turned to find Po standing next to her.

She smiled. "Hello, Dragon Warrior. Congratulations on your victory."

He grinned. "Oh, well, you know, it was nothing. Well, it wasn't nothing, I have a couple bruises, but other than that, it was nothing." Before she could respond, a huge throng of children surrounded them. They were cheering and all talking at once about how awesome Po was. "Whoa, whoa, slow down, one at a time! I can't tell who's saying what!" Po said.

"Po, Po, did you kick his butt?" one rabbit boy asked excitedly.

"You know it! He was begging me not to use my amazing noodle slinging move, but I did!" All the kids oohed and demanded more.

"Is that how it went, Dragon Warrior?" Tigress asked, crossing her arms over her chest and smirking.

He blushed and lightly kicked the ground. "Well, you know. If you wanna get a bowl of noodles, I could tell you about it," he offered.

"Po loves Master Tigress!" one little girl cried out. A bout of giggles rose from the children. Po's blush deepened, and Tigress felt her own cheeks heat up.

"I bet he wants to kiss her!" another added. The girls giggled again, but the boys gagged and stuck out their tongues.

"Okay, everyone who's under three feet tall has to go! Go on, go and have fun!" Po ordered.

They all had the same collective response. "Aww…"

"Sorry, but this festival won't be here forever. I'll tell you guys more about my total awesome epic battle later," he promised. They all scattered, calling goodbye over their shoulders. One bunny even hugged Po's leg before taking off, madly giggling.

"They adore you," Tigress stated.

"What can I say, you save a village once and everyone just starts liking you," he shrugged.

She chuckled. "Well it was very impressive. In a few weeks, you'll be the talk of China." He shrugged again.

"So, um… you up for that bowl of noodles?"

She smiled and started towards Mr. Ping's. "Alright. I suppose I could splurge this once, for the celebration."

"I don't know why you're worried about your figure. I mean, you're skinny already. You don't know what I would do for a body like yours. Maybe people would take me a little more seriously then," he said, following after her.

"By the way, I'm sorry for what I said to you. It was uncalled for. I should have trusted Master Oogway from the beginning," she apologized.

He waved it off. "No biggie. I thought the guy was nuts for making me Dragon Warrior, too. I am just a big, fat panda after all." They reached the shop and went in through the arch. Mr. Ping's eyes lit up when he saw Po.

"Look everyone, my son's here! And Master Tigress, too!" A round of applause and cheers rose from the crowd in the shop. A few people got up to congratulate him and shake his paw.

Slowly but surely, the pair made their way through the crowd and to the counter. "Dad, you really shouldn't have done that," Po said.

"Of course I should have! My son, the hero! Who would have guessed it? I'm so proud of you!" Mr. Ping cried, hugging his son.

Tigress smiled. Even though he was a little wacky, Mr. Ping was a good man. "And Master Tigress! It's such a pleasure to meet you. Oh, Po, she is a keeper! Such a pretty face."

"Dad! We're just friends," Po muttered.

"Of course you are," Mr. Ping said with a wink.

"Thanks Dad, you're the best," Po called as he grabbed two bowls of noodles and Tigress' elbow and pulled them all up stairs. "Sorry about my dad, he jumps to a lot of conclusions," he apologized, handing her a bowl.

"It's alright." They stood there in silence for a few minutes. "So… this is where the Dragon Warrior lives when he's not on duty," she said.

"Oh, yeah. This is my room." Tigress nodded and looked around. She was a little creeped out by the posters and action figures of herself and her friends. Po blushed when he saw her staring. "Oh, those… yeah, I was a fan of you guys. Just a bit."

She nodded and took a sip of soup. Her eyes lit up. "This… this is delicious!"

Po grinned. "Yeah. Dad makes the best soup you'll ever have. You like it?" he asked. She nodded and quickly drank more of the soup. "Um, Tigress…"

"Mmm-hmm?" She wiped some soup off her upper lip and put the bowl down.

"I feel really bad about, you know, crushing your dreams and stuff."

"Don't. It just wasn't meant to be. I'll get over it. Besides, this is a whole new day for me. The Five and I were thinking about moving out of the Valley and starting our own school," she said. It was a bit of a fib, but she was still hurting.

"Oh… that's great. But I'll, you know, miss you. I know that we didn't get off to such a great start, but I think we could be really great friends."

She nodded. "I think we could too."

"But, um, I wanted to give you something to make up for all the trouble I caused you. I hope you like it."

Tigress felt a twang on one of her heart strings. "Po, you didn't have to do that, I—" She fell silent when she saw her gift. It was the Dragon Scroll.

"In my mind, this really is yours. I was just the guy who fell in front of you. I want you to have it. I mean, you've worked your whole life for this and I thought that all hard work should be rewarded, so I just thought you should have it instead of me." He held it out to her. "Please, take it. It would mean a lot to me."

Tigress glanced from the scroll up to him, and he nodded. She slowly reached for it, withdrawing her paw a few times before finally touching it. The fabric that made up the back felt smooth and silky and new, hardly having ever been touched. Her fingers curled around it, and she felt the full weight of the object when Po let go.

"There. Now it's with the right owner," he said happily.

Tigress stared down at the scroll, the Dragon Scroll. The jade casing felt cool in her paws. It was hers. The Dragon Warrior had just presented her with the Dragon Scroll. "Po…" She fell silent again. "… I… I don't know what to say. This is… so sweet. I never would… could… thank you." And before she could stop herself, she leaned over and gently kissed his cheek.

She quickly drew back. Po's eyes widened and he touched his cheek. "Oh… I'm sorry. Is… is that okay?" she whispered.

"Yeah, I think so. Is it okay with you?" he whispered back.

She nodded slowly. "I think so."

There was total silence. Tigress felt her heart pounding against her ribcage, and her paws were starting to sweat. And her lips were pulling her towards Po, as if there were a magnet inside. But instead of leaning over too far and falling on her face like she thought she would, she was stopped by Po's lips, which met with hers in the middle.

A warm flush overcame the very confused tigress, and she felt Po's paws on her hips, pulling her closer. Normally this would warrant a slap across the cheek at the least, but Tigress felt herself gently putting a paw up to his cheek and swirling her thumb over the coarse fur. The Dragon Scroll dropped to the floor, completely forgotten.

Po pulled Tigress closer, wrapping his arms fully around her waist. She reciprocated by slipping hers around his neck, standing on the tips of her toes so that they were the same height.

Their lips eased off of each other, and Tigress stared into Po's deep green eyes. "Po…?"

"Yeah?"

"Did… we just kiss?"

He nodded. "Uh-huh."

She let a held breath go, breaking away from his eyes. "That was my first kiss."

"Really?" he asked, a little surprised. She nodded, and caught his gaze again.

"I… I think I liked it."

Po lifted her face up and pressed their lips together again, a bit more passionately. Tigress reluctantly opened her mouth a bit when Po slid his tongue across her bottom lip. But she was pleased that she did when she felt his tongue probing the inside of her mouth. She broke the kiss and reached down, picking up the Dragon Scroll.

"Thank you, Po, for the wonderful gift. I love it." She kissed his cheek. "And you."

A/N: My first TiPo fic! I hope that everyone likes it, and don't forget to review, please!


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